Topic: Overall Games of the Decade

I thought since everyone is doing one of these, it might be fun to do one on this site. Not just for Nintendo platforms but for anything you played.

For me:

1. Dark Souls
2. Breath of the Wild
3. FTL: Faster Than Light
4. Stardew Valley
5. Rain World
6. The Witcher 3
7. Hotline Miami
8. Bloodborne
9. Return of the Obra Dinn
10. Device 6

God of War
BOTW
Mario Odyssey
Borderlands 2
Towerfall
Minecraft
Just Dance Series
Destiny
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit
Killzone 3

Maybe not the "best" 10 games but each of those had a big meaning to me this decade!

No remakes allowed

1. Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2. Super Mario Odyssey
3. Pandora's Tower (yes, I like it that much)
4. Xenoblade Chronicles/ Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (they are tied for me)
5. Papers Please
6. A Hat in Time
7. Splatoon 2
8. Super Smash Bros Ultimate
9. Steamworld Dig 2 (A 2D platformer on any positive list of mine is basically a miracle. This game is great)
10. Fire Emblem Awakening

I don't have a PS4 or XB1, and honestly none of the PS3 games I've played that came out this decade have really impressed me, though I haven't played that many.

Edit: You know what, I'm having enough fun that Tales of Graces F belongs on this list as well! Don't know exactly where though. Probably the bottom 5.

In no particular order: Xenoblade Chronicles X, Final Fantasy XV, Resident Evil 2, The Evil Within 2, Forza Horizon 4, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Sea of Thieves, Unravel, Killer Instinct 3, Crash Team Racing, Fire Emblem Awakening... If remakes were allowed then Twilight Princess HD.

There are others that I haven't played yet like The Witcher 3, the new Assassin's Creed games, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Unravel Two... I have a huge backlog.

@NotTelevision Not sure I've even heard of Rain World or Device 6. I'll look them up.

Me:
Mario Kart 8
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Rocket League/FIFA 18
Hollow Knight
Super Mario 3D World
Super Mario Maker 2
Super Mario Odyssey
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD

I admittedly haven't played nearly enough of the other games from the last decade, but that's still a pretty tasty 10 I reckon. And Nintendo to thank for 8 of them, and the Switch to thank for the other 2.

I would probably find a place for Super Mario Galaxy 2 in that list, but aside from the 1st level I haven't actually played it yet. So I probably shouldn't.

I should also probably find a place for FIFA, because that's been my most played game. Sod it, it can share Rocket League's spot.

And Splatoon... I'd like to be able to to consider it, but just find it too lacking in offline areas and can't ever seem to play more than an hour at a time online before having my fill of it. Bit too samey, not enough arena rotation etc.

PS. I reject the 'no remakes' rule, and happily choose Ocarina of Time 3D and Wind Waker HD because I hadn't really played their previous versions.

I'm ruling out remakes & remasters. Alphabetical order.

• Astral Chain (Switch exclusive)
• Dragon Quest XI (PS4)
• Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS exclusive)
• God of War (PS4 exclusive)
• Kirby: Planet Robobot (3DS exclusive)
• Marvel's Spider Man (PS4 exclusive)
• Super Mario Odyssey (Switch exclusive)
• Titanfall 2 (PS4)
• Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Switch exclusive)
• Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)

Perhaps a little too much recent bias, but for a large part of the decade I really didn't have the funds to indulge in a lot of game purchases (and certainly not new releases), but that changed in 2017.

God of War
Astro Bot Rescue Mission
The Witcher 3
The Last Guardian
Pikmin 3
The Witness
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
The Last of Us
Fez
Splatoon

Do I need to explain them as well?

My Best 10 games with my scores on them :
1. Dance Dance Revolution A20 Arcade (100/100)
2. Dragon Quest Builders 2 PS4 (96/100)
3. The Sims 4 PS4 (with All contents) (95/100)
4. Portal Knights PS4 (91/100)
5. Final Fantasy VIII (PS1/Switch) (90/100)
6. Animal Crossing New Leaf Welcome Amiibo 3DS (89/100)
7. Final Fantasy XII the Zodiac Age Switch (82/100)
8. LEGO CITY Undercover (Wii U / Switch / PS4) (82/100)
9. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster (Switch / PS4) (80/100)
10. Final Fantasy IX (PS1/Switch) (80/100)

@RR529

I’ve seen a lot of people include Astral Chain! I really need to make sure I pick that up in 2020

@gcunit Cool. Rain World is one of those games that was rated low by most critics, but very high by user communities. There is a lot to it that best to experience firsthand, and everyone has a unique set of experiences with the game. It’s definitely not for everyone though because of the difficulty and some won’t be able to get over some of the idiosyncrasies.

@linq Thanks.

@Octane Good call with The Last Guardian. That was a wonderful game.

1. Xenoblade Chronicles
2. Shovel Knight
3. Undertale
4. Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward
5. Rayman Legends
6. Mass Effect 2
7. Super Mario Galaxy 2
8. Super Mario Odyssey
9. Radiant Historia
10. GTA 5

I'm undecided if Celeste and Smash Ultimate shouldn't be on here instead. Ask me in a year.

Hard list to design, but this is as good a list of my ten favorite games this decade as anything else.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf - The most relaxing game I've ever played.

Corpse Party - Best audio design in any horror game I've ever played. Also the best representation of classic J-horror tropes I've seen in the medium.

Cuphead - Addictive action-platformer with perfect controls and a genuinely awe-inspiring aesthetic.

Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony - While I might appreciate the narrative of Danganronpa 2 more, I really liked the bold way V3 deconstructed the intricate mythology previous games had built up. Also, the sheer amount and quality of post-game content is on another level, and it's hugely rewarding for long-time fans.

Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age − Definitive Edition - I've never smiled this much playing a game before. It's so charming. Yet it's equally effective at plucking the heart strings, and it has some of the best pacing and classic JRPG game design I've ever seen.

Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan - The EO series at its most ambitious and accessible.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - The greatest open world game I've ever played, and it finally evolved the series' formula in a meaningful way for the first time since the late 90's.

Rayman Origins - A tight, satisfying platformer that is almost perfectly executed. Also one of the prettiest 2D games ever made. Also a much more coherent and satisfying experience than its sequel.

Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse - SMT at its mechanical and narrative best. While the presence of anime tropes have made it a controversial entry in the series, and it lacks the atmosphere of its immediate predecessor, I really appreciated most of the changes Atlus introduced in this entry.

Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward - A mind-bending puzzle adventure that would be nearly impossible to do justice in any other medium. Uchikoshi's magnum opus combined horror, philosophy, and science-fiction to create something utterly memorable.

These are the games that had the biggest impact on me in one way or another, be it emotional or just digging the game design etc.

Breath of the Wild
The Witcher 3
Journey
NieR:Automata
Fallout New Vegas
Portal 2
Hotline Miami
Super Mario Odyssey
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Shovel Knight

In no particular order for me:
LoZ Breath of the Wild
Dragon Age Inquisition
Fallout 4
LoZ Link Between Worlds
Super Mario Odyssey
Enter the Gungeon
Broforce
Death Road to Canada
Shovel Knight
Super Smash Bros Ultimate

I'm going to add Rayman Legends and Wipeout Omega Collection and perhaps Redout but I haven't played the latter enough. I'm curious about Nier: Automata and many others.

2010 - Red Dead Redemption
2011 - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
2012 - Borderlands 2
2013 - Grand Theft Auto V
2014 - Bayonetta 2
2015 - The Witcher III
2016 - Doom (2016)
2017 - Nier: Automata
2018 - Monster Hunter World
2019 - Resident Evil 2 Remake

2010: Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
2011: Saints Row The Third (PC)
2012: Borderlands 2 (PC)
2013: Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS)
2014: Super Smash Bros for Wii U (Wii U)
2015: Xenoblade X (Wii U)
2016: Recore (XBONE)
2017: Super Mario Odyssey (SWITCH)
2018: Super Smash Bros Ultimate (SWITCH)
2019: Call of Duty Mobile (Mobile)

I'm not going to bother making a full, proper list because I know I'd forget something and smack myself later thinking "how could I forget that!?" But some big ones for me:

Xenoblade Chronicles
Fire Emblem Awakening
Fire Emblem 3 Houses
Animal Crossing New Leaf
Cities Skylines
Civilization 6
Pokemon B/W2
Pokemon Sw/Sh
Stardew Valley
Fallout New Vegas
Xenoblade Chronicles 2

By no means a comprehensive list.

@Heavyarms55 That’s a good list. Nice to see some good sim games on your list. I put a lot of time into Civ 5 on the PC, but haven’t played 6 yet.

Just curious... are you playing Cities Skylines on the Switch? It’s been a long time since I played a city builder, but I used to love SimCity and Cities Skylines sounds like the real deal with EA doing all manner of foolishness under the SC banner.

My question was related to the performance of the Switch version though. When it was first released a lot of reviewers noted the subpar performance. I don’t mind a hitch here and there, but if it is lagging and I feel like the Switch is struggling too much, I’ll hold off on getting that version.

@NotTelevision I found the reviews of the Switch version very harshly unfair. Does it run as well as the PC version on a 1000+ dollar gaming rig? Of course not! But the game still runs very well on Switch. The main lag issue comes from the auto saving - which I wouldn't quite consider lag. It's just that, when the game autosaves there's a noticeable couple seconds where you can't do anything but look around. You can turn that function off, or adjust how often it does it but I never bothered, it's no big deal to me and not too frequent. I've built cities of 80k and bigger and experienced no lag issues related to city size - the game tells you it is going to limit viewing angles after your city gets big enough to avoid lag - but you can opt out of that and I still didn't have performance issues. Maybe with significantly larger cities there could be issues but not that I have seen. You can't find a better city builder on a portable device - but if you don't intend to take advantage of that and you have a gaming PC - that's where I'd suggest playing because the PC version has a DLC and a huge modding crowd.

I played a bunch of Civ 5 too. Fun game, but Civ 6 took that spot for me and I double dipped on PC and Switch. Unlike Skylines Civ 6's port is brilliant rather than passable. The only issue with Civ 6 on Switch is loading time getting into a game - which is long - and the lack of mod support - which is the big draw for the PC version. Civ 6 even has all the DLC on Switch too.